Saturday, October 5, 2013

Abandon Pursuit

Earl Van Dorn

The Battle
of Hatchie Bridge or Davis Bridge was the final engagement of the Luka-Corinth
Campaign and was fought October 5th 1862 in Hardeman and McNairy
Counties Tennessee.

Confederate Major
General Earl Van Dorn’s Army of Tennessee retreated on October 4th
1862 from Corinth, Mississippi, halting that night near Chewalla, Tennessee.Union Major General William S Rosecrans began
his pursuit the next morning, with the assistance of Major General Edward O C
Ord.Around 8am on the morning of
October 5th 1862 Ord took command of the combined Union forces and moved
on Van Dorn’s advance; commanded by Confederate Major General Sterling Price’s
men, pushing them back about five miles to the Hatchie River and across the
Davis’ Bridge.Ord was wounded in the
ankle during this push.While Ord’s men
pushed Price’s Confederates, Van Dorn had scouts looking for another way to
cross the Hatchie River.

Union General Ulysses Grant
ordered the Union command to abandon the pursuit of the Confederates, allowing
Van Dorn’s Army to escape.